Manchester United could have signed Zinedine Zidane, but they decided against it because they didn’t want to upset one of their players.
Zidane, 52, is widely considered to be one of the best footballers of his generation.
His elegance, astute technical ability and vision were something to behold during his playing days.
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Throughout his career, he played for some of Europe’s biggest clubs, retiring in 2006 with an impressive 13 trophies from his time at Bordeaux, Juventus and Real Madrid.
Since calling time on his playing days, Zidane has managed Los Blancos, first taking on the role in 2016 before a second spell in charge in 2019.
He successfully guided a star-studded Madrid side to three consecutive Champions League triumphs between 2016 and 2018.
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On the domestic stage, he captured the 2017 and 2020 La Liga titles before leaving his post as boss in 2021 – he has been without a job since.
Zidane is, without a doubt, a legend in the Spanish capital, but things could’ve played out very differently.
Although Zidane has been loosely touted to manage Manchester United in recent years, during his playing days the 1998 World Cup winner was heavily linked with a move to the Premier League side.
But the deal never materialised as the club did not want to upset his fellow Frenchman Eric Cantona, who was the main man in Sir Alex Ferguson’s side between 1992 and 1997.
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Former United chairman Martin Edwards discussed the reasons why Zidane did not join United when speaking in 2017.
"When [Zinedine] Zidane was at Bordeaux, Les Kershaw, the chief scout, was telling me we should be interested in him, and I mentioned it to Alex," he told Manchester United's website in 2017 (via The Independent).
“Alex said that Eric [Cantona] had also mentioned Zidane to him, but Alex [Ferguson] felt Zidane played in the same position as Eric [Cantona].
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“Having gone over to France to persuade Eric to re-sign for us, after the Crystal Palace incident [when Cantona was banned for eight months after clashing with a football fan at Selhurst Park in 1995], he felt that, if he had brought Zidane in, it may have affected Eric's position, so he stuck with Eric.”
Despite never playing in the Premier League, Zidane explained how Old Trafford and Liverpool’s Anfield were his two favourite away grounds.
Topics: Manchester United, Zinedine Zidane, Eric Cantona, Sir Alex Ferguson, Premier League, Real Madrid, Transfer News
Luke Alfred Davies